1. ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog Post: Farmers, City Folk and Renewable Energy
Back from a hiking trip in North Carolina, blogger Meredith Angwin thanks conventional power plants. Power from such plants is what allows mountain waterfalls to continue to be waterfalls, not power sources. Some people in Vermont claim that we can “get” all our energy from renewables. No, we can’t just “get” such energy: we would have to “take” renewable energy, therefore turning much of the natural world into an energy farm.
2. Forbes James Conca – Nukes In My Backyard – No Big Deal
It’s final – nuclear power plants do not have any effect on cancer rates for those living near them. Period. So, do we have to keep proving this over and over?
A very complete and meticulous study by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on populations living near three of Ontario’s nuclear power plants was just released this month. The Radiation and Incidence of Cancer Around Ontario Nuclear Power Plants from 1990 to 2008 study (The RADICON Study) demonstrated that there is no evidence of childhood leukemia clusters, nor non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma increases, nor increases in any other cancers in any age group, in communities within 25 km of the Pickering, Darlington and Bruce nuclear reactors.
Ted also posted an abbreviated version of the post at NEI Nuclear Notes.
4. Atomic Insights:
Atomic Insights – FoE Australia’s Jim Green issues conditional apology
Jim Green, a professional antinuclear campaigner has apologized to Ben Heard and Geoff Russell for accusing them of a significant math error when it was his paper that was incorrect. He also acknowledged that nuclear energy had some attractive features but refuses to change his position because of the link between nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
Pronuclear communicators can learn a great deal from Dr. Peter Sandman, author of “Responding to Community Outrage: Strategies for Effective Risk Communications”. He visited the Atomic Show and taught a special class for Margaret Harding, Meredith Angwin, Suzy Hobbs-Baker and Rod Adams.
6. Canadian Energy Issues – Low carbon water management in Toronto: as reliable as nuclear electricity
Cities are as dependent on water as they are on electricity. In Toronto, the entire municipal water supply is moved through the city with electric-powered pumps. Steve Aplin is glad that most of the electricity that runs those pumps comes from nuclear plants. It means that a vital core city service has a low carbon footprint. And it means the city’s electrical lifeblood is based on a reliable, robust, easy-to-restore energy source.
The Japanese news media is treating the J-PARC incident as if it were another Fukushima accident. Politicians have also jumped on the antinuclear bandwagon. J-PARC is not a nuclear power plant and not part of the so-called “nuclear industry”. It’s worse than comparing apples to oranges. It’s more like comparing apples to onions!
8. Nextbigfuture – China is rolling out a carbon trading scheme and plans to place caps on emissions starting in 2016 and an overall peak in emissions by 2025. This plan to reach a peak in emissions in 2025 is 5 years earlier than previous objectives in 2012.
* The carbon trading and caps will mean more financial support for nuclear energy and hydro power in China.
* The financial incentives could boost the amount of nuclear power that gets built.
* It will also mean more cleaner and bigger and newer coal plants and natural gas and renewables.
10. Nextbigfuture – General Electric has successfully demonstrated laser enrichment of uranium and expects to make a decision by year end on construction of a Castle Hayne facility to produce the nuclear fuel component.
Silex developed the laser enrichment process which could be two to fifteen times more efficient than centrifuges for uranium enrichment. GE licensed the technology from Silex.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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